Thumb-tack



M. G. LAWRENCE. THUMB TACK.

APPLICATION HLED APR-7,1920;

1 Tf: lnvenror. 4/2 W 42 Melvin G. Lawrence,

40 @WMM UNITED STATES PATENT creme.-

THUMB-TACK.

Application filed April 7,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MELVIN G. LAWRENCE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Revere, county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Thumb-Tacks, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to thumb-tacks such as are used for holding paper onto a board, and it has for its object to provide a novel thumb-tack which is provided with a spring device constructed to engage the paper and yieldingly hold it in place.

In using the ordinary thumb-tack it is necessary to drive the thumb-tack lnto the board sufficiently to bring the head firmly against the paper in order to hold the paper securely on the board. Sometimes the board in which the thumbtack is used is so hard that itis with difficulty that any one can force the thumb-tack home, and under such conditions, the thumb-tack is frequently pushed only part way into the board. Under such conditions the paper is not held firmly, but can move relative to the board.

I have provided a novel thumb-tack which is provided with a spring element adapted to engage the paper when the thum-tack is partially pushed into the board, said sprlng element acting to yieldingly hold the paper against the board with a greater or less pressure, depending on the degree to which the thumb-tack is forced into the board. With my improved thumb-tack the paper will be firmly held even though the thumb-tack is only partially inserted into the board.

In order to give an understanding of my invention, I have illustrated in the drawing some selected embodiments thereof which will now be described, after which the novel features will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a thumb-tack embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view;

Fig. 8 shows a different embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 4 shows the blank from which the device shown in Fig. 3 is made.

My improved thumb-tack comprises a spike or stem adapted to be inserted through the paper and into the board and a spring reta ning mem er associa ed Wi h the stem Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 11, 1921. 1920. Serial No. 371,984.

comprises a pointed-spike or stem 3 adapted to be inserted into the board and a head 4: at the end of the stem by which it may be inserted Associated with the stem and the head 1s a spring device adapted to engage the paper and yieldingly hold it against the board.

The spring device shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is in the form of two spring arms 5 which are situated on opposite sides of thestem and are connected to the head and which have such a shape that when the spike is inserted into the board, the arms bear against the paper. These arms 5 are'resilient and normally have-the shape shown in full lines, Fig. 2, but when the tack is pressed into the board, the pressure will bend the fingers backwardly, as shown by dotted lines Fig. 2, in which case these fingers have a yielding pressure against the paper 2.

The spring arms are shown as connected to the head by means of depending portions 6, and one convenient and inexpensive way of manufacturing the device is to make the arms 5, the connecting portions 6 and the head 4. from a single blank which is bent to the desired shape, the spike being riveted or otherwise secured to the head portion 4 of the blank.

In Fig. 3 I have shown another embodiment of the invention in which the spike 30 is made integral with the head 40. This form of the invention can be made from a blank such as shown in Fig. 4 by striking up the portion 41 from the head portion 410 of the blank thereby to form the spike 30, and then bending the arms 42 of the blank to form the fingers 50 and connecting portions 60. Where the spike is formed by striking up an integral portion from the blank, it will be necessary to use somewhat heavier material for the blank than in the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and in order to give the arms 5 the proper resiliency, I propose to cut out a portion of the material of the arms along the dotted lines 44, thus making skeleton arms. With this construction the arms will have sufficient resiliency to answer the purpose. 1

In both embodiments ofthe invention the thumb-tack is pressed into the board with fholdit-to the board. I

One advantage derived from using this form of thumb-tack is that the arms act on the paper at two points somewhat separated from that'at which the spike penetrates the paper, and the paper will thus be held firmly against movement. toward and from the board and will also be prevented from turningon the board.

To remove the thumb-tack from the board the operator merely grasps the connecting portion 6 between his thumb and fore-finger The pressing of these portions together tends to force the fingers with greater pressure against thepaper, thus to assist in withdrawing thespike from the board, and this movement together with the pulling action accomplishes the desired result.

While I have illustrated herein one form of spring device, yet since I believe I am the against the board, I desire to claim this feature broadly.

I claim g l. A thumbtack for securing a paper to a board, said thumb-tack having a spike or stem, a head adapted to be grasped between the thumb and finger and a spring element extending from the bottom of the head below the portion which is grasped by the thumb and finger and adapted to engage the paper when the thumb-tack is inserted into a board, thereby yieldingly holding said paper against the board.

2. A thumb-tack for securing a paper to a board, said thumbtack comprising a spike or stem to be inserted into the board, a head having two depending portions adapted to be grasped between the thumb and finger and a resilient arm'extending from each depending portion and adapted to engage the paper thereby to hold it yieldingly against the board.

and presses said portions together, and at f the same time pulls outwardly on the tack.

8. A thumb-tack for securing a paper to a board, comprising a spike or stem, a strap like member secured to said stem and bent stituting resilient arms to engage a paper andhold it yieldingly against the board.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

MELVIN G. LAWRENCE. 

